Family Visits

It was great to have Dave’s sister Dawn and her friend Ashley for a visit in November. It is a lot of fun to see Niger again for the first time through guests. Dawn and Ashley were only here for five days, but they didn’t sit still and we able to enjoy a ton of sights and see different aspects Nigerien life around Niamey. For instance, they took a walk just a few minutes from our house and saw these examples of wildlife.

It was great to look back through their pictures; seeing goats, sheep and camels on almost a daily basis makes them just blend into the landscape and you forget the rich diversity of sights (and smells!) you get to experience living in this agrarian society.

Dave’s mom and dad (Dave and Doris Totman) were able to spend Christmas and New Year’s with us. What a great time to be able to talk, play games, enjoy Christmas cookies and celebrate these holidays together. Our kids soaked up these times with their grandparents and have been really missing them since they left.

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These two family visits gave us the excuse to go enjoy nearby sand dunes, see wild giraffes, ride camels, look for hippos on the Niger River, have a picnic along the Niger River and do some other sightseeing (like visiting the National Hospital!).

We are so thankful to have been able to spend time with family over the past few months!

Summer Building Projects Continue

Last summer was a big push to gets lots of building projects accomplished at Sahel. It has been awesome to have more staff dedicated and able to help with projects through this year. As the summer ended, the building projects didn’t. Lasso, Seikou, Lona, Joe, Craig, Paul, Brian, Dave, Tim, Rich, David and others have continued to chip away at repairs and new installations on the campus. The Admin Building (with four new classrooms) is now completed and in full use.

We were recently thrilled when a well-drilling organization was able to drill through the hard rock beneath the Sahel campus and successfully install a well (This was a huge victory because two previous well-drilling efforts had been unsuccessful.)! Thanks to much hard work by Brian, Joe and Craig, the campus is running entirely on well water now and is not dependent on city water at all. In addition, the guys were able to add irrigation lines and much of our watering can now happen straight from the Niger River (water that already has extra fertilizer in it!).

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We are also very, very thankful to have received the parts to our broken generator and Chad and Brian were able to successfully repair it. In addition, they installed an even bigger generator so we have a back-up when one needs to be serviced or repaired.

The work on the new shop area and new housing area continues. God provided a huge gift to the school in the form of hundreds of loads of great fill dirt. This was used to raise a low area of campus in preparation for future staff housing. We are so thankful for the construction staff that God has brought to Sahel this year and all that they have been able to accomplish.

Ministry Moments

We have been enjoying times with the students at Sahel immensely this year. The school took another big step of numerical growth and we are really thankful for the new students that were added. A number of our returning students are demonstrating a desire to know God deeper, to grow in leadership skills and to search out opportunities to serve Him. It has been a really positive semester for us. Anora continues to serve with an orphanage ministry team. There are several adults and a large group of teens that serve in two local orphanages each week. Dave has been meeting with several older students in both one-on-one meetings and in small group meetings focusing on leadership development and on outreach and service. A new group affectionately called the F.A.T. Q-Tips (“Focused And Teachable – Digging Deeper into God’s Word”) was started this year by Dave and Ros (a Bible teacher at Sahel). The group is focusing on student leaders who desire to grow in their own walks with God and their ability to influence and impact their peers’ relationships with God. It has been a good start and we’re looking forward to meeting with this group even more this semester.

student leadership and discipleship meeting

Friday Night Prayer times, assemblies, Wednesday Bible studies and Birthday Dinners continue. We are so thankful for the families that God has brought to Sahel and the youth that we get to rub shoulders with and join in their journey with God.

Thriving as a Team

Teamwork . . .

Last weekend the NUTS (Niamey Universal Tournament of Softball) tourney enveloped Niamey. It was fun to watch and participate in the tournament this year. One of the things that I (Dave) love about sports is the lessons that can be learned and applied to other aspects of life. For example, a softball team must function as a team. You win as a team and lose as a team. You can have the best player in the world on the team, but unless the other 9 players are playing their roles, the team will lose. It is the same in the body of Christ. God creates each of us uniquely and desires that we play roles in order to build up the body and serve together as a unit. Each believer has a role to play that others cannot (and should not) play. Also, on a softball team, when one player is struggling or hurting, it impacts the whole team. In the same way, when one member of the body of Christ is injured (emotionally, spiritually, etc.), it impacts all the members around them – even if they aren’t aware of the injury!

It’s been encouraging this year to watch teens explore, learn and enjoy their growing roles on the team. It was a blast to play softball with them and watch them excel on that sports team. But it’s even more rewarding to watch them find their gifts and explore new ways to serve God in His ever-growing church. It’s fun to be with teens that are discovering their gifts and roles and then actively participating so that the team can thrive.

October Break

At Sahel Academy, making it to October Break means that the first quarter is in the history books. The year has jumped off to a quick and great start. We’ve already enjoyed 4 birthday dinners (We invite all the secondary students who celebrate their birthday in a given month over to our home for a special dinner.), began small-group Bible studies, had a lock-in, served on a work day, celebrated school spirit week and the arrival of a shipping container full of school supplies and participated in a softball tournament (which just ended yesterday). While it has been a lot of fun – our whole family is looking forward to this week off of school that will allow some extra time together. We’ve posted some photos below of the birthday dinners, our kids dressing up for spirit week, and Dave in the softball tourney.

Blow out the candles!

Birthday Dinner Party!

shutting down left field

The Janitor & The Ring Master (Circus Day)

Cleopatra & Jonah (Ancient Culture Day)

Miss Peacock & Mr. Green (Movie & Game Character Day)

elementary water games

What a Summer!

As a new school year begins, we’re taking some moments to reflect on the summer. It was a great, tough, fun and bewildering summer almost all at the same time! Take a few moments to enjoy the summer with us through some photos.

First of all, Zoe and Trey both celebrated birthdays this summer. Zoe turned 4 and had a princess party. Trey turned 6 and had a superhero party.

We had a number of visitors this summer. We were able to host Dean, Caleb, Bobby (Jr.), Bobby (Sr.), Jim, Bernie and Pete throughout the summer. We had a lot of fun with conversations around the dinner table and got a lot of work done too! One of the fun aspects of having visitors is seeing your surroundings for the first time again. We’ve included pictures of some of the work we did with our guests and some of the sights we saw with them too.

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15May11 Newsletter

Opening Thought:

Youth Group Names (that didn’t really fly)
• C.A.T.S. – Christians Actively Terrorizing Satan
• CATBIRD – Christians Actively Trying to Become Incredibly Righteous Disciples
• Barf and Gag – Boys After Radical Faith and Girls after God
• DUNG – Deliberately Uncreatively Named Group
• MisfitYouth – Welcome to the island
• Losers – We’ve lost our lives to Christ!
• POOP – People Oozing Outreach with Passion
• PB&J – People Believing & Jesus
• Puke – Upchucking the old way of life
• Q-tip – Digging deeper into God’s Word
• Swiss Cheese – “Be holy as I am holy”
• TACO – The Awesome Christ Organization
Should we name the youth ministry at Sahel one of these? Would you like to add your own suggestion(s)?
*Citation Note – I found this list somewhere, but cannot remember where for the life of me. If you know where it came from, please feel free to tell me and I’ll cite the creative, original author. I think it was likely Doug Fields.

Calendar Update:

• May 18 (Wed) – Final Bible Study Night
• May 20 (Fri) – Mission Impossible
• May 27 (Fri) – Fine Arts Weekend (matinee)
• May 27 (Fri) – Friday Night Prayer (7-9pm)
• May 28 (Sat) – Fine Arts Weekend
• May 29 (Sun) – NEWS: All Music Service (Sahel Music Team led)
• May 31 (Tue) – June Birthday Dinner (6:30-8:30pm @ Totmans’ home)
• Jun 9 (Thu) – Final Day of School (1/2 day)
• Jun 10 (Fri) – Graduation

Transition Time!

We live in an internationally mobile community. Even though transition is a part of our lives, we don’t always take the time to prepare well for departures or arrivals. Parents can play a significant role in helping their children transition well. Here are two transition processes that Dave Pollock and InterAction developed to help us think through how to transition well. If you’d like more information on the individual steps in transition, please don’t hesitate to ask me (or, check out the great book Third Culture Kids by Pollock & Van Reken. Yes, it is available on a Kindle.).

The Transition Experience

1. Involvement – We feel settled and comfortable, knowing where we belong and how we fit in.
2. Leaving – We begin loosening emotional ties, backing away from the relationships and responsibilities we have had.

• Denial of feelings of sadness or grief – Instead of acknowledging sadness, we begin to think, “I don’t really like these people very much anyway.”
• Denial of feelings of rejection – Not only do people stop asking our opinion on future events, the begin giving our jobs to other people. We feel rejected, but then think that is silly or immature.
• Denial of “unfinished business” – The closer we come to separation, the less likely we are to reconcile conflict with others.
• Denial of expectations – To prevent disappointment or fear, we may deny anything we secretly hope for.

3. Transition – It begins the moment we leave one place and ends when we not only arrive at our destination, but make the decision, consciously or unconsciously, to settle in and become a part of it. It’s a stage marked by one word – chaos! This stage is often characterized by a personal lack of status and disappointment.
4. Entering – We have made the decision to engage in the new community; now how does it happen?
5. Re-involvement – We once again belong in a community. We may not be native to the community, but we can ultimately belong.

The Transition Process

Even though most of us have transitioned from one country or school to another many times, we can still forget the importance of leaving well. As the time for departure approaches, there is a tendency to just think about what’s next and try to minimize the pain of thinking about leaving all that we know here and now. The problem with that scenario is that in order to enter well into the new location, we must leave our current location well. Pollock & Van Reken developed a simple acronym affectionately known as the R.A.F.T. to help us think through the transition process (and specifically how to leave well).
1. Reconciliation – It is essential to reconcile any interpersonal conflicts before leaving.
2. Affirmation – Thank important people for their investment and help to you.
3. Farewells – Saying good-bye to people, places, pets, and possessions in culturally appropriate ways is important if we don’t have to have deep regrets later.
4. Think Destination – Think through details of arriving before stepping off of the plane or out of the vehicle!

Resources Available at Sahel Academy:

1. Dave’s Bookshelf:

• Burn-Up or Splash Down by Marion Knell **A new (2006) and very helpful resource! I highly recommend this resource to any family with a 7th grade or older student returning to their home country.
• Re-Entry by Peter Jordan
• Third Culture Kids by Pollock & Van Reken

2. Sahel Academy’s Media Center

• A variety of picture books (for younger children) on saying good-bye
• A variety of books on MKs (including Raising Resilient MKs)
• EMQ April 2005 Coming Home

3. Online Links

• www.tckworld.com (Dr. Ruth Useem – TCK Resources)
• www.transition-dynamics.com (Transition Consultants)
• www.figt.org (Families in Global Transition)
• ww.gnvv.org (Global Nomads)
• www.overseasbrats.com (American schools overseas)
• www.sietart.org (Society for Intercultural Education, Training & Research)
• www.xenosmk.org (British-based organization for TCKs)
• www.mkplanet.com (community developed and maintained by MKs)

Party Time! (Water Bash and May B-day Dinner)

We’ve been having a ton of fun with the teens at Sahel. There is a fair amount of stress that surrounds the end of any school year. This May, many students are taking major exams, getting ready for a big play and graduation, some families are leaving permanently, etc. In the midst of the work, stress and chaos, it is great to take a break and have some fun. On Saturday, Apr. 30th, we had a big “Water Bash” youth activity with lots of water games and then a snack and some devos. Three days later, we had a big birthday dinner for all the May birthdays (secondary students). We are blessed by being surrounded by awesome teenagers here!

Here are some photos:

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Ereina Turns 9!

Ereina enjoys opening presents on her 9th birthday

Our lives changed forever on April 25, 2002 when Ereina joined our family. It is hard to believe that 9 years have flown by so quickly. We are so thankful for the beautiful little girl God has blessed us with and are enjoying watching her grow. We had an international theme party this past weekend (Pictures can be explored in the picture column on the right side of the page.) where the girls “visited” France, Egypt, Australia & Japan. Will the next 9 years go this quickly?

Happy Day!

On Sunday, April 24th, we enjoyed celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the dead in a variety of ways. In the (very) early morning, we rose and celebrated with others at a sunrise service. The music team from Sahel was able to participate in the service by leading the music. The father of one of the music team members brought a passionate message reminding us of the power of the resurrection and what that power should mean to us today.

After that early morning service, we had the joy of witnessing 16 young believers baptized at two different services (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Ten of the young people were Sahel students – bringing the total of Sahel students baptized in the month of April to twenty! We try not to focus on numbers and know that spiritual growth often has little to do with numbers, but it is pretty easy to be very thankful for the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts of so many young people right now.

What a happy day! As Chris Tomlin wrote so well, “Shout it out, Jesus is alive!”